Interesting Facts About Saturn You Probably Don’t Know – Common Problems – and PDF Manuals for Download…
Saturn Car Corporation began its business in 1985 as a registered car manufacturing company under General Motors.
Although it was a subsidiary of GM, the car brand operated independently and manufactured cars with unique models from a different car assembly plant in Tennessee.
From the underlying goals and objectives of the brand, it was evident that the firm’s existence was fueled by General Motors, which wanted a different kind of car to compete favorably with the Japanese car makers.
Saturn’s earlier car models where separate and distinct from the designs of other types of car brands. It began with a dedicated engine and a dedicated platform with dent resistant body panels only unique to the brand.
This design makes it very easy to quickly change the exterior look of the models, and transiting from one model to another was very easy. There are different models and series of cars produced by the Saturn brand.
The S-Series is the earliest models of cars produced. The company used the Z-body platform for this series. Interestingly, the unique platform was completely developed in the Tennessee manufacturing plant.
This design does not have any similarities with the designs of GM cars, its parent company. The Saturn S-series implemented a space frame design, exactly the kind of design you’ll see in some Pontiacs.
Next in line of Saturn car series is the Saturn Vue model, designed with industry leading technology. This model became the bestselling Saturn model at that time because of its unique masque design.
2007 saw the reengineering of this model when a second generation Saturn Vue was introduced into the market. However, the new model did not see much of production as GM finally ended its affiliation with Saturn after its restructuring in 2009.
There have been other notable models of the Saturn brand of automobiles. Other remarkable models of the Saturn brand include Saturn L-Series (arguably the most popular Saturn model ever produced), Saturn Aura, Saturn Relay, Saturn Outlook, Saturn Curve and Saturn Sky.
Saturn Relay, in particular, is the only minivan introduced by the GM motors to cater for the needs of individuals looking for such design of cars from the Saturn family.
It was launched in 2005 and was designed alongside its sisters, Pontiac Montana, Chevrolet Uplander, and Buick Terraza.
Saturn Outlook on the other hand is an SUV with strong resemblance with some other GM car models like GMC Acadia, Chevrolet Traverse, and Buick Enclave.
The last models of the Saturn family before it was discontinued in 2009 were the Outlook Crossover, Vue Small Crossover, Astra Hatchback, Aura Sedan, and Saturn Sky roadster.
These models were specifically made for the European market, but worldwide sales were significantly recorded as well.
Although, new productions of the Saturn brand of cars were discontinued in 2009, the earlier models are still very much in vogue and in need by users who understand the uniqueness of all models of the Saturn’s brand.
It remains to be seen whether GM will reignite their interest in the Saturn’s brand which has brought so much satisfaction among customers in the past.
Basic Problems of Saturn
There are some Saturn car problems that some car owners have experienced. While some of the problems are unique to the Saturn models, major of the technical and electrical issues commonly occur in all models and brands of cars.
Below are some of the issues you are likely going to face as an owner of a Saturn car, which you can identify and solve using your repair manual.
- Temperature gauge not working
If you own a Saturn car and experienced a problem with your car’s temperature gauge, it could be that there is a problem with the connecting sensor. Understand that the sensor has a lot to do with many components in the car and if it stops working, it can affect other areas of the car.
When this sensor fails, it tends to cause coolant leakages, which can ultimately damage the connectors.
The most ideal and permanent solution is to replace the sensor and the connector if it has also been affected.
- Problems with spark plug
This problem is common with the Saturn S-Series. It’s designed with an ignition system that is so selective on the type of spark plug it needs. The easiest solution to this problem is replacing the problematic plug with OE spark plugs. They work fine and are quite affordable.
- High idle caused by defective throttle sensor
If the idle drops down when you try to shut down the car and restart, you are likely facing a problem with the throttle sensor. This problem is most prevalent in Saturn cars and fixing it doesn’t require any special expertise.
However, replacing the throttle sensor with an aftermarket part will not solve the problem. The best deal would be to replace the sensor by ordering a new OE part. That should permanently fix the problem.
- Engine suddenly dies and won’t restart
Although this happens on rare occasions, it’s still relevant to discuss here because some users have had complaints like this. If you are driving and your Saturn’s car engine suddenly stops and refuses to start until it gets cold, there may be a problem with your crankshaft sensor.
It’s strongly advised to replace the sensor with either an aftermarket or an OE replacement part.
- Oil Burning
The pistons of most Saturn cars do not have any drained back hole where oil can dissipate. As a result of this, the oil present in the oil control can become overheated, which ultimately clogs oil control.
Solution: You can occasionally clean the soaked oil using a mild solvent with good detergency ratio. If this does not work, you can have your technician drill holes in the ring groove to allow for easy oil passage. Ultimately, you can replace the piston with one that already has this drilled hole.
Conclusion
Saturn has surely impacted the car manufacturing industry with high quality designs that are rare to find in other car models. While the manufacture of new models have been put on hold for a while by General Motors, a lot of people are still enjoying the current models in the market today.
Minor problems with this brand of car can be solved using the instructions provided in the repair manual.
However, if your car is having a serious mechanical fault and all your efforts at resolving the issue have yielded no results, it’s always ideal to call the service of a technician to check it out.
Purpose of this is to catalog and include one of most comprehensive, useful and accessible “automotive repair PDF manual” database on the web for all Saturn models.
It’s your go-to source for learning all about Saturn – when you can’t find it elsewhere.
To get started, select the intended car model below…
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Astra
11 manuals -
Aura
23 manuals -
ION
18 manuals -
L
7 manuals -
LS
1 manual -
Outlook
18 manuals -
Relay
7 manuals -
SC
7 manuals -
Sky
14 manuals -
SL
6 manuals -
Vue
40 manuals
